MUSIC DRIVES US EXPANDS ARTWEEK GRANTS AS 2019 SPRING FESTIVAL PARTNER, DOUBLING THEIR SUPPORT AND QUADRUPLING NUMBER OF RECIPIENTS

Forty Grants To Be Awarded To Free, Learning-Based Music
Events At The 2019 ArtWeek Festival, April 26 – May 5

ArtWeek 2018 Music Drives Us Grant Recipients

Boston,
MA (January 30, 2019) – Presented by the Highland Street
Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek announced today it will
welcome back Music Drives Us Foundation (MDU) as a partner for the upcoming
spring festival. Music Drives Us will significantly increase the number of
grants it provides for ArtWeek events during its 2019 festival (April 26 – May
5). Forty recipients will be selected to receive a $250 performance grant to
support the presentation of their event during ArtWeek, up from 10 total
recipients in 2018. Events submitted before the February 22 deadline that meet
the following criteria will automatically be considered for a Music Drives Us
award: the event must be accepted by ArtWeek as an official event; it must be
free; and it must be music and learning-based. Since ArtWeek will continue to
celebrate statewide, events from across the Commonwealth will be eligible.
Grant recipients will be selected by Music Drives Us and notified in late
March.

“As ArtWeek continues its
statewide expansion, we are grateful for the continued support of Music Drives
Us and for the commitment the foundation has made to supporting art and
cultural experiences,” said Joe Spaulding, President & CEO of
the Boch Center. “One of the things I am most proud of is the accessibility of
ArtWeek— last year 90% of all events were free or under $25. By offering grants
to free, learning-based events, Music Drives Us is helping us fulfill our
mission to make art and culture available to everyone throughout the entire
state of Massachusetts.”

“For
the third year in a row, Music Drives Us will support ArtWeek along with the
team at the Boch Center. Supporting cultural initiatives that emphasize arts in
society is the heart of our mission at Music Drives Us. That is why we have
doubled our investment in ArtWeek this year to offer 40 grants to participating
artists and musicians. The cultural experiences offered during ArtWeek across
the state of Massachusetts are extraordinarily important in keeping the arts
alive and viable for all sectors of humanity,” added Ernie Boch Jr, founder of
Music Drives Us.

ArtWeek
is an award-winning, innovative festival that features hundreds of unique and
creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive, or offer behind-the-scenes
access to arts, culture, and the creative process. ArtWeek is a way in which so
many forms of creativity can be showcased in a truly affordable and accessible
way for everyone who lives, works, plays and visits Massachusetts. In 2018, 90%
of all the 525+ events were either free or under $25 for admittance. ArtWeek
events span the Commonwealth’s six regions: Greater Boston, North of
Boston, South of Boston, Cape & Islands, Central Massachusetts and Western
Massachusetts. After opening up applications to all of Massachusetts for the
first time last year, a remarkable 130 cities, town and neighborhoods
participated.

The
final deadline to submit an ArtWeek event is Friday, February 22. Applications
can be found at artweekma.org.

About ArtWeek

Presented
by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek is an
annual award-winning innovative festival featuring more than 500 unique and
creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes
access to artists or the creative process. ArtWeek was born in Boston in 2013
and now serves over 100 towns across Massachusetts as the signature nonprofit
community program of the Boch Center.

ArtWeek
works to spotlight how the creative economy is thriving in Massachusetts by
offering unique and affordable neighborhood-based events that provide increased
access to art, culture, and creativity. Through community, artistic, and media
collaborations, this festival provides experiences in dance, folk and traditional
arts, fashion, media arts, spoken-word, poetry, writing, contemporary visual
arts, music, opera, theater, design, film and much more.

Statewide
champions include the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism and the Mass
Cultural Council, who also serves as ArtWeek’s Creative Communities sponsor.
Additional support comes from the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau and the Foundation for MetroWest. Lead Media partners include WCVB
Channel 5, Entercom, AdSpace, Improper Bostonian, Boston Metro, Boston Central,
Boston Globe, Bay State Banner, Cape Cod Community Media Center and the
Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, as well as many others. ArtWeek’s
expansion has also been powered by an extensive network of more than 115 creative
collaborators at the statewide, regional and community
level. To learn more about the festival and its growth, visit www.artweekma.org.

About Highland Street Foundation

Since its establishment in 1989, Highland Street
Foundation has donated more than $180 million to many worthy non-profit
organizations. It is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of children
and families primarily in Massachusetts and California specifically in the
areas of education, housing, mentoring, health care, environment and the arts.
To learn more about Highland Street Foundation, please visit www.highlandstreet.org.

About the Boch Center

The Boch Center is one of the nation’s leading
nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic Wang and
Shubert Theatres. As New England’s largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is
home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway
musicals, family entertainment, and more.

collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts
organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater
Boston’s arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org.

About Music Drives Us

Music Drives Us is a registered
501(c)(3), New England nonprofit organization supplying grants to music
programs designed to effect positive change for people of all ages. We seek out
organizations and individuals interested in using music as a tool to better the
lives of people in all segments of society.

About the Mass Cultural Council
The Mass Cultural Council is a state agency that promotes excellence,
inclusion, education, and diversity in the arts, humanities, and sciences to
foster a rich cultural life for all Massachusetts residents and contributes to
the vitality of our communities and economy.

MOTT’s mission is to promote Massachusetts as both
a leisure and business travel destination for domestic and international
markets and to contribute to the growth of the Commonwealth’s economy. MOTT
works closely with 16 regional tourism councils across the state, and with
larger tourism alliances such as Discover New England and BrandUSA. For more
information on visiting Massachusetts, go to massvacation.com.​